From the Bottom Up : Bellatrix Black
by themagiclivesinyourheart
Summary: A story of Bellatrix and her beginnings as a Death Eater.
1. Chapter 1

They said he'd be here …

Bellatrix, wrapped in her black cloak and stood in the middle of the dark, smelling alleyway, her impatience increasing with great malice. Did they lie to her? The icy eyed beauty glared up towards the sky, looking back upon her encounter with the three foolish boys. All of them were her housemates, two of them in the same year as she, while the last one was her cousin, Regulus Black. He was young, only fifteen, but the boy had strong values unlike his unworthy brother Sirius. Indeed it was actually him that convinced his older comrades to find a way to induct Bellatrix in.

"If anyone deserves a position, it's you, Bella." He had murmured, grabbing her hand in a show of promise. "I could not think of anyone else with more loyalty to our ways of living than you."

This had obviously made the other two boys upset. What man liked to be bested by a female? It would come to no surprise to Bella if both the boys had found some way to trick her. It was in fact the two of them that had informed the impatient girl of tonight. 11 they had said … the clock struck 12 in the far off distant of Hogwarts. _They __**had**__ tricked her_; made a fool of her. Well they would pay.

Sadly, for Bellatrix that is, as she stood brooding over her fury, the dark beauty did not see shadows around her become tangible … become human that is. One cloud of smoke, then two, then three! Each one becoming a solid figure, dressed in black cloaks themselves and their wands at the ready. It was not possible to see their faces, for even if the cloaks were not shadowing them, the masks were. Carved from a metal of sorts, they looked like shiny skulls with intricate designs.

Death Eaters.

Too little, too late for Bellatrix. Just as she heard a scuffling noise against the cold and grey pavement and turned to react, one of the three swished their wands and with a deep and commanding voice said, "Crucio." Unexplainable pain wracked through her body and she keeled over, instinctively getting into fetal position. It hurt … it hurt so much and she couldn't pinpoint where the pain was coming from. First from her brain, but then it transferred to her stomach … then it just spread across her whole body until Bella began to thrash on the ground. The trio laughed at the pitiful sight. Laughed and laughed and laughed …

Something within her sparked a flame of anger that began to spread through her, diluting the pain. Strength seeped its way back into her bones. Slowly, while the three men continued to screech with laughter, the vengeful girl pulled out her wand. Bella pointed it towards the one closest to her. With a great swish of the wand, and no murmuring of spells, the raven haired witch hexed him and watched as he and his wand fell.

Bella smirked and felt the pain be relieved from her body.

One down, two left to go.

Still struggling, and slightly stumbling, Bellatrix lifted herself up and standing straight and tall in front of the other two. Shocked that this woman had the strength, or even perhaps the nerve, to stand against them must have been new. They quickly snapped out of it though and began flicking their wands, not making a sound, and shot spell after spell towards her way. She wasn't a novice when it came to dueling though; Bella was a BLACK and power flooded through her veins. This girl would not be bested by anyone.

So the battle continued, but with increasing urgency, and the strong-willed witch breeched any magical wall they placed up and deflected any spell they threw her way. But breeching and deflecting wasn't going to win her the battle; Bella was going to have to fight harder … dirtier if she wanted to win. If she wanted to survive. So instead of flicking another simple hex that the professors had taught her, Bella decided to use one she had seen Severus use the other day.

"Sectumsempra!" she bellowed, her wand pointed dramatically at the smaller of the two remaining Death Eaters. Bella watched in wonder and slight horror as blood started to protrude it's war from the magically induced wounds. She had little time to ponder what this spell actually was … the other Death was still fighting, not evening glancing at his falling partner. This man was going to be much more difficult to defeat.

Harsh and rapid, he sent one spell right after another, giving Bellatrix no breathing time. Each one she had to deflect or jump out of the way for. How was she going to fight back if she had no time to send out any of her own spells? A thought burst its way into her mind. There was no way Bella was going to have time to cast anything as complicated as unforgiveable … but Accio would do the trick! Her eyes landed on a old-style metal trashcan that lay behind the cursing man. With only a simple flick and silent thought, the trash can flew towards her … knocking the last remaining Death Eater unconscious.

Bellatrix smiled as she stared around at her defeats.

She had won.

"Congratulations, Bellatrix Black …" came a soothing and lofty voice. "You just completed your first test towards becoming a Death Eater."


	2. Chapter 2

A Death Eater had explained it all to Bellatrix; she may have come from the Ancient and Noble House of Black, she may have had all the values to be inducted, but none of that mattered now. Bellatrix was at the bottom of the ladder and she'd have to fight her way through blood and tears to reach the top. To become one of the true elite. As he spoke, the increasingly determined witch swore upon the thing that matter to her most, herself, she would reach the top. Her icy blue eyes sparkled with the wonder of a new, malevolent dream. Perhaps even one day she'd even stand next to the Dark Lord, serving him faithfully.

But first …

Bella had to complete these tests.

The first one she had passed; the next one was underway.

They stood in a small room, in one of many hideouts the Death Eaters had, him waiting with cold patience while Bellatrix stood with her usual impatience. Though this time it was not out of anger, but from child-like excitement. Tonight the child-like witch was going to make her first kill in order to prove her loyalty to them. Bella was ecstatic, but she was also very, very nervous. Of course she had always dreamt of relieving the wizarding world of mudblood, but to actually complete the task was far different than dreaming. It was real.

'Stop,' Bellatrix thought to herself viciously.

Mudbloods were stains that needed to be wiped away and it was now her duty to do so. The raven-haired witch could not show weakness. Yet … she couldn't fight the nudge from within in stomach that told her something was wrong. It was still there, poking at her, making her feel a bit sick. What was this? What was she doing? Now Bellatrix was starting to feel a bit panicked and quite claustrophobic in this small, dark room. Her eyes darted around, trying to see if her tutor or others could see the weakness trying to fight through. The door opened and Bella's wide-eyes shifted to the opened frame. Two more Death Eaters, cloaked and masked, stood tall and wide there.

In their rather large arms they held two little girls, no more than 10 years old. One, the dark-haired one that is, was struggling against their bonds and event tried kicking her captor. The fair-haired child, who seemed to be younger than the other, lay limply in his arms, sobbing. Bellatrix heart sunk. She had thought she'd be killing some … some men or women opposing the Death Eaters; not two helpless little children.

"Wand at the ready, Bellatrix." Her teacher grumbled. The shocked witch looked up at him, him looking down at her. Though the mask hid his expression, the eyes made it clear. Do it, or we'll kill you. They'd have to now that she knew their secret. Bellatrix nodded numbly and slowly pulled out her wand.

The two girls were looking at her now, the fighter with loathsome eyes while the quieter child shook her head, her blue eyes pleading. Bellatrix's heart twinged, her mind remembering something. Narcissa and Andromeda … the two girls those Death Eaters were holding reminded Bella of her two sisters! Was this on purpose? Were they purposefully trying to make her fail by making the raven-haired witch kill her sister-look-alikes? She wanted to vomit now, the substance even threatening to come up her throat already. Bella couldn't do this anymore. She needed to stop. The girls looked at her with their wide-eyes, feeling a bit hopeful now. Perhaps there was a chance for them after all! The captors glared furiously at the trembling witch.

"Now." Growled her teacher once again, grabbing hold of her arm tightly and thrusting her forward.

The two Death Eaters holding the children did the same, pushing them in front of Bellatrix. They stood on their knees now, looking up at their supposed-to-be killer. Seeing them up close made her feel even more nauseous. They had suffered enough, hadn't they? The bruises and opened, bloody wounds were proof of that. Why kill them? Why?

Because they were from a blood-traitor family. That's why. Her sense was coming back to her now. These girls weren't her sisters; Narcissa and Andromeda would never do such a thing, they'd never betray their bloodline … their family! The cowarding girls in front of Bellatrix weren't her sisters. In anything they were like her cousin, Sirius Black. Fury was beginning to take hold of the witch now. Pathetic and treasonous. That's what they were and they didn't deserve her pity. They deserved exactly what Sirius Black deserved.

Death.

Her hand trembling as she lifted her walnut wand, pointing directly at the two of them. The dark-haired child was hugging her sister now, trying to soothe her by petting her fair hair. She glared up at Bellatrix, not saying a word, but the sinning witch knew what she was thinking. 'Damn you to Hell.' Bellatrix swallowed, grasping her wand tightly. Now or never, Bella. Now or never … she took a deep breath and making sure her face was void of any weakness, the increasingly encouraged witch began to grow tall.

Sirius, Sirius, Sirius … her mind chanted.

"_**AVEDA KEDAVRA**_." She cried, her eyes glaring wide as she took in the wonder of the spell.

A shot of green lightning spewed from her wand and hit the two girls straight on. It was nothing painful that had made them scream or cry, it was quick and Bella watched their bodies them fall limp against the wooden floor. Her heart was racing and her blood was pumping. Bellatrix had made her first kill. She had just past her second test. That nudging feeling that had nearly caused her to run from her destiny was gone. And she felt strong.

Powerful and strong.

"Nicely done, Bellatrix." He praised softly, gesturing the two Death Eaters forward to dispose of the bodies. Bella smiled.

Soon she'd be a full-fledged member …

Then she could begin her quest to rid the world of traitors and mudbloods.


	3. Chapter 3

A week after the day of her first killing, a date that she had memorized for some unknown reason even to her own mind, Bellatrix had been put on daily Disposal Duty. Disposal Duty … it was a joke that she herself had come up with; the icy-eyed girl would sneak her way back to the hideout every night, hidden in her invisibility cloak (a gift from her tutor), and walk back into the same small, dark room where the same two Death Eaters would bring Bella her next victims. It was odd how each one could resemble someone she knew, Alecto, Clara, Rodolphus …, but how easily it came to her now to lift her wand and mutter those simple words. And with each night, her grin grew wider and more sadistic.

One night, Bella had told her tutor of the joke she had come up with and as he and her laughed together, she wasn't alone anymore. It wasn't like Hogwarts, where if the wicked witch had said something of the sort, people would point accusatory fingers and rally against her. They thought they were better than her, even though in ways they were just the same as the dark girl. No … Bella was among others who viewed her as a friend, a sister, a comrade. They said Hogwarts was their second home, this was hers. Bellatrix grinned widely, maliciously, as she looked up with wonder-filled eyes towards her new companions.

The next night, the 8th night and the beginning of a new week, Bella strode into the hideout with confidence, ready to take on another victim, but at the door was not her Tutor, but a woman draped in all black clothing. Her graying hair was put in a tight bun, wrinkles lining her face, her mouth set in a thin line of annoyance. Bella's confidence faded to confusion and slight fear. How could the raven-haired witch not fear this woman, who stood tall like an Amazon and glared viciously down at Bellatrix with the upmost loathing that made her want to cringe. With her strong will though, she didn't and she simply stared at the woman with her icy eyes.

"I am your new Tutor." The woman stated coldly, waving the girl forward. "Follow me."

Though her body wanted to refuse, Bellatrix stepped cautiously behind her new Tutor, who walked quickly towards the new route. Turn a corner, down some stairs, and into a torch-lit basement, the usually cool and confident Bella had chills running up and down her spine and her blood turned cold. A quick and dangerous thought made its way into her mind. Had she done something wrong? If so, what was it? Were they leading her down into this basement to kill her? Her heart clutched in terror. Whether or not, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Her Tutor stopped in her tracks, quickly turned around, and glowered down at Bellatrix who stumbled slightly at the sudden stop of movement. She blinked and looked up at her teacher with widening eyes.

"You've passed your two tests, this is your next one." She explained curtly, then gestured toward a large door behind her. "This test is much more difficult than your last ones. It's easy to fight off others who attack you, it's easy to kill those when there is no bloodshed, but it isn't easy to torture someone." Bella raised her eyebrows in a questioning look, but the woman paid no mind to her now. Instead she reached into her dark cloak and unsheathed a sharp, plain looking dagger, handing it to the Death Eater-in-training, who weighed it in her slender hands with raised eyebrows.

"Inside that room we have an Order member and it is your job to get him to tell us where their Headquarters is." She explained curtly. "I don't believe I need to tell you what to do with that, do I?" The woman looked at her, waiting for a stupid question to come out of the child's mouth, but Bella simply shook her head, smirking. That was all? How could torturing someone be worse than killing a human being? This stuck-up bitch was just trying to scare her. She must have heard how well the wicked witch had done in her past tests, far better than what she had proved to be. This was the price you paid when you are exceptionally talented.

"Go on in then."

With one last smug look, Bella entered the freezing dungeon-like basement.

When the door opened, her senses were overfilled with the smell of stench and the cries of a screaming man, calling out for someone, anyone, to come and rescue him. Her stomach threatened to purge her dinner she had earlier. The room, it was freezing for one thing. There was no heat, the only light was from above; a medieval looking chandelier. Goosebumps were beginning to form on her milky skin, her face paling more and more with each second. The next thing Bellatrix noticed was the god-awful smell that hung in the air. Imagine you are walking near the road, and you smell something so repulsive and then you see a dead animal lying on stiff on the path; flies and crows flying around it, ready to fill themselves with a free dinner that had been provided for them. That's what it smelt like and it made the raven-haired child want to vomit.

There was nothing in the room except a large wooden table and on that table lay a man bind to it. He stopped screaming then, once he saw her and instead glared defiantly at her, but looked a little reluctant. It was as if he couldn't believe that they were really sending in a child do this work. Suddenly, the knife in her hand felt very heavy. Bella's stomach lurched. She knew that face. He had gone to Hogwarts with her, a long while ago, but still he did. When she was a little girl, only a first year, he was a seventh year. What was his name? David Thewlis? Yes … that's what it was. He seemed to recognize her too. It wasn't surprising really, because once upon a time, David had comforted her when she and Alecto had gotten into a fight. He had been a Ravenclaw and he was so sweet.

But it didn't matter now if he was sweet. David was the enemy, he belonged to the Order. He had been sent to find out their headquarters and now he must pay the price. So she walked towards him slow, a bit hesitantly yes, but her posture said otherwise. At least in her mind, Bella though she walked prideful and strong. At least in her own eyes.

"You certainly grew up." David stated, his voice quivering slightly. Bellatrix didn't say anything, she just looked at him. Idle chat wasn't going to distract her from her job.

"I'm not going to tell you anything about what you want to know." He informed, turning his head so he'd no longer look at her. Pity coursed through her body.

"Then you know what I must do them." She lifted her small dagger, pressing it again his arm softly at first, then with increasing pressure. He gasped. "I don't want to do this David …" she murmured softly, leaning closely in so he could hear her and only him. You never knew who might be listening. "Tell me and I could convince them to let you join." She was beginning to plead now. "You were so kind to me … I really don't want to do this."

He looked at her; sympathy filled his caring blue eyes. "Then let me go. Let me go and we could escape together. We'd protect you. You're so young, Bellatrix … only a child. Just let me go and things will be alright." Bellatrix took the knife away from his skin.

He was actually willing to take her with him if he escaped? Why? Why would he do that? And what did he mean by protect her …. These people were her friends. They respected her and taught her things that no one else had taught her. Then again, they could also kill her. Her past Tutor made it very clear if she were to make a mistake, they'd have no choice, but to kill her. To protect their secret. Quite honestly, Bella never thought about it that much until now. What if she were to make a mistake? Was she absolutely willing to give her life to this cause? She wasn't too sure at the moment. With her icy eyes, Bellatrix looked down at the man before her, who looked up at her with his caring eyes, but it wasn't his eyes she looked at.

What had caught her attention was the pierce that she had made. It had broke through skin and a thin trail of scarlet ran down his forearm. It moved something within her, a sick sort of feeling that mesmerized her. The woman had been right, killing someone was nothing like seeing this. Seeing what lay beneath the skin. It made her wonder for a second about what her blood looked like. She was a pure-blood afterall, this meant she was better than blood-traitors and mudbloods. What would happen if she were to … she cringed. A shallow cut now appeared near her wrist and she watched as her own blood began to seep out slowly. It was much the same as his and it made her angry. She expected something different, something grander, but it was the same. It was the same as his and that angered her.

David stared at her in horror while Bellatrix glared at him now with such an inhuman sort of hatred. How was it possible that they were the same? She deserved things far better than what he possessed. After all, it was him that was tied up and wasting away in this dungeon, not her. Shouldn't his skin reflect that? Bellatrix grinned sadistically. Perhaps she should help him with that … not paying any mind to what exactly she was doing, the raven-haired girl lifted her knife up into the air then swiftly slashed it across his arm. David yelped, struggling now in his bonds.

'Good.' She thought to himself. Bella took hold of his arm, her pale and slender fingers wrapping around his bleeding skin. It was warm and sticky, and oddly pleasing to feel on her hands.

"Tell me where the Headquarters is." The wicked witch demanded vicously. "Who is all in it? Where are your hideouts? Damnit, you fool, I am speak to you!"

David grinded his teeth in an attempt to keep from screaming, but this only made Bella more violent; she wanted to see him thrashing around on that table, trying to get away from her. He was an animal, prey, and she was the hunter who would keep his hide as a trophy of her winnings. Bellatrix continued screaming at him, demanding to be told of the who's and what's and when's and where's, but the man refused. He simply took the torture she threw at him. A slash across the one arm, one against his cheek, and she even went as far as removing his shirt and sliced up his torso as well. By now he was bleeding greatly, and with each cut, Bella made sure to compare her simple tear of flesh with his. Why? She didn't know. It only made her angrier with each comparison, but it didn't matter.

How long had it been since she had come through those doors? She didn't know the answer to this either, but it was long enough. David had stopped thrashing now, stopping crying out in pain, which made Bella stop what she had been doing. He was so beat up now … a long gash now grazed his handsome face. What had she done? Bellatrix couldn't remember doing that, nor did she remember wrapping her hands around his neck, yet there were red marks that were starting to bruise. She blinked her icy eyes, looking down at her hands. They were stained red, just like his body was. Apparently there was a lot that she had missed.

"You failed this test." Bellatrix whipped around, her new teacher, the ice witch, stood there looking bored. "Go wash up and we'll try again tomorrow. "

Bellatrix blinked, and then followed her teacher out.


End file.
